The Discovery of Avalon
by Lightning99109
Summary: CHAPTER 4 UP! LEGEND The continuation of what happened after Lara left Amanda after that fight. My first fic.
1. After the Storm

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tomb Raider or anything else in this fic.

After the Storm

OK, so this is my first TR fic, so please be nice, but do review! Hopefully will update pretty quickly. Please note though, that the author is English, so spellings etc, will probably be different to everyone else.

Tiwanaku, Bolivia 

It was raining, and heavily at that. The cold water pattered down onto an unconscious Amanda Evert, dropping onto her face. Slowly, she began to open her eyes, taking in the scenery. The now destroyed ruins of the dais lay around her, and as she ran her eyes over them, she remembered that fateful day.

Lara coming towards the dais, telling them all to move. Being thrown back by the might of the sword Excalibur. The death of James. Using her power to try and defeat Lara. And Lara placing the sword into its place, activating it. Amanda had warned her, she should have listened. But she hadn't, and now all was lost … or was it? Amanda was sure that the sword was still there, was still _working_, when Lara had knocked her out. Surely it could not be that hard to find another dais? After all, this had been her dream, all of her life she had been searching for it, why should she give up now? And Lara, Lara would pay. For the second time, she had ruined _everything_, first Peru, now Bolivia … but … wait. Amanda looked down to her neck, trying to see the ornate stone she had so … _memorably_ found in Peru all those years ago. It wasn't there … surely she could not have lost it? No, of course not. Lara hadn't wanted to kill her; if she had done, Amanda would not be around now. But nor would she want to have to fight that … _thing_ again. Lara had taken it, maybe destroyed it, Amanda did not know, but she would have to find out.

Slowly she picked herself off the floor, brushing dirt and dust off her body. She looked across to the other side of the dais, and saw a dead James lying on the floor. She wanted to cry; he had meant more to her than any other person had, and had spent so much time trying to find Avalon, like her … but he was dead, and there was nothing else to do but to move forwards and onwards … and the least she could do was to avenge his death. She walked over to him, and kneeled by his side, before covering his body with a plain, brown leather coat. Then she stood up and walked away. There was still a lot of work to be done.

Croft Manor, England 

Lara Croft slowly slid out of the large swimming pool, and onto the slippery floor. Grabbing the nearest towel off a deck chair, she casually wrapped it around her, and made her way out along a wide passageway that connected the pool with the rest of the house. She opened the heavy door at the end of this, and made her way into the main hall of the mansion. Zip, Lara's own tech guy, sat at his desk in the server room in the mansion, surrounded by at least half a dozen state of the art laptops and desktops. He grinned as he saw a dripping Lara walk up the stairs opposite him.

"Good job we've got no visitors today, they might think we've got a leak in the ceiling!" Lara turned back to look at the long line of water she had left behind her while walking back from the swimming pool.

"Never mind, I'll clear it up later …"

"You'll clear it up? God, if I had a butler, I'd make _him_ do all the work." Lara smiled. Winston had been the family butler for so long now; she didn't think there had ever been a time that he had not been there. She looked over to the large fireplace.

"Where is Winston by the way?" She asked.

"Actually moved away from that fireplace for once," he replied casually. "Said something to do with helping Alistair tidy up the study." Lara said nothing, but simply smiled, and made her way up the large, branched staircase towards her room. She would have a quick shower, and then would get dressed into the smartest suit she could find. She had a meeting to go to.

British Museum, London 

"Lara, my dear, I'm sorry to say this, but I can just not believe this. Your father, he was so upset of your mother's death, he simply tried to convince himself that she was not actually dead, and had just gone to a better place." Professor Eddigton took off his thin glasses, and looked at Lara through tired eyes.

"No, he _was_ right. He knew he was, but his ideas just seemed so … _preposterous _to everyone else, no one would believe him." Lara's answer came fast and determined; her father's reputation had been destroyed by the fact that he had known the truth, yet _no one_ would ever believe him, and Lara was determined to restore the great respect that he had once had.

"And do you have proof that his theory is correct, Lara?" asked the professor calmly. Lara looked at him. He had once been the best of friends with her father, long ago, before her mother's death. However, after Lady Croft had died, and her father put forward the theory of what had happened to her, even Eddigton had struggled to believe her father. He was a tall man, with very little hair, and the hair of which he did have was in short wisps around his head. His skin was wrinkled, but not excessively so, and he could have been passed off as being younger than he actually was.

Lara paused at his last question. She had known that he would ask this. What had convinced her that what her father had said was real? Now she had a choice to make; to show Eddigton the sword, Excalibur, or possibly show him the dais location in Bolivia, and try to prove her point that way.

"Well, Lara?" asked Eddigton impatiently. Lara looked at him, and took a deep breath; she could see no point in hiding it.

"I found a sword. It was in pieces, and I put them back together. Its Excalibur, I've found it." The professor sighed.

"Lara, I am always inundated with calls from all kinds of individuals saying that they have found the legendary sword, yet none of them are real … King Arthur … it's just a myth, there is no strong proof to say it is real …"

"But it _is_ real!" Lara protested. "I found _everything_. The tomb … Excalibur … everything. And what is more, the sword, it is exactly the same as the one in found in Nepal all those years ago! There is more than one! It also predates King Arthur easily! And the stories! There are so many stories that are nearly exactly the same to King Arthur's! Can't you see, it MUST be real!" Eddigton, very taken aback by this answer, said quite simply.

"Lara, if you bring me your proof, bringing this … Excalibur, photographs, video, whatever, I am sure that I will believe you, especially with all your field experience. But I do need proof to convince others."

"You mean convince yourself."

"Lara," sighed Eddigton. "It is true that I do not believe you yet, but I am far more willing to accept your story when I see proof. I am afraid that is all that I can help you with today." Lara got up off the thick leather armchair and extended a hand.

"Thank you anyway," she said smiling falsely, before exiting the room. Outside the building, she phoned the mansion, with Zip picking up.

"Hey, how did the meeting go?" asked the chirpy voice on the end of the phone line.

"Lets put it like this," came Lara's flat answer. "We have still got a long way to go." She climbed into the new Aston Martin Vantage, and drove off, back to the mansion, knowing that there was still a lot of work to be done.

Washington D.C., USA 

A lone figure walked down a small street, and made its way towards one of the many apartments down the road. Amanda climbed the stairs and opened the door into the flat, casually flicking on the light as she walked in. It barely took her a minute to switch on all the computers and, after grabbing a bottle of fresh spring water from the fridge, settled herself down in front of one of the screens. The computer was searching for something. Amanda knew that it would not take long to find what it was looking for.

T.B.C… 

If you got to the end of this fic without being bored stiff, well done! Thanks for reading, and please review!


	2. An Uncomfortable Reunion

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tomb Raider, Lara Croft nor anything else in this fic.

**An Uncomfortable Reunion**

Hey! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I found them all really useful. Here is the next chapter in the story! (p.s. Hopefully there might be some action in the next chapter!)

**Croft Manor, England**

Lara was awake at 5 o'clock the next morning. She always was, and could never see the point in staying asleep late into the morning when there was plenty to do. And there was still plenty to do. After the failed attempt to restore her father's reputation the day before, Lara had been working extremely hard, trying to discover more about Excalibur, and to see if there were any other daises to be found. So far her search had found nothing, but Lara was sure that her Internet search, or indeed her many contacts would turn something up.

Excalibur was locked away in Lara's secret treasure room, along with the many other artefacts that Lara had collected over her many years of Tomb Raiding. It was virtually impossible to enter the room unless you knew exactly what to do, and Lara constantly checked that she had the most up to date security guarding everything in there. Excalibur was safe … for the moment at least.

A large thud from the room next door to hers awoke Lara from her thoughts, and also told her at the same time that Alistair was awake, and had once again fallen out with the lovely silk curtains that surrounded his canopy bed. Lara smiled to herself. She should really get up, and see if anything had turned up about Avalon. She was worried, however. What if she finds another dais, and transports herself to Avalon? Would she find her mother there? Would it even work? And what about Alistair, Winston and Zip? Could she leave them; everyone she had ever known and loved back in this world? If she got to Avalon, would she be able to return home? Would she want to return home?

With all of these thoughts running through her head, she climbed out of bed, and slipped on a loose t-shirt and walking trousers. Exiting her room, she made her way downstairs, through the grand ballroom, and into the large, spacious kitchen that she owned. Winston, who had long known of Lara's waking times, was just pouring some tea into a very delicate china teacup. He looked at the clock. It read ten past five.

"You are up earlier this morning, Lara." He said with a smile, offering her the freshly made tea. She took a delicate sip before answering.

"The alarm clock was not working properly." Winston smile broadened. Alistair was constantly complaining about his bed's curtains, and so always awoke at five fifteen, usually followed by him falling out of bed. This morning, he had been early.

A large crash above them told them that Alistair was making his way clumsily down the stairs. He came into the kitchen in his usual mood.

"We have _got _to get rid of those bed curtains!" Winston smiled and passed him a cup. Alistair nodded in thanks, and gulped the tea down thirstily.

"You can have a new bed if you want to," replied Lara. "But I cannot allow you to remove the curtains. That bed is very old and valuable. It would be worth nothing if you removed them."

Alistair smiled worriedly. He still had not told Lara the main problem. Just then Zip came down the stairs.

"Hey, Lara, you do know that there's a rip in the curtains of Alistair's bed, don't you?" Alistair threw his head into his hands, before quickly standing up, and started making towards the door.

"I think I'll just go and get dressed," he said hopefully. The other three nodded slowly and watched him walk out. After he left, Zip turned to Lara.

"You didn't tell him that the bed is actually worthless, did you?" Lara shook her head, before starting to laugh.

**Washington D.C., USA**

Amanda looked at the blueprints for the treasure room. It was too dangerous, too difficult. With the lack of support that she had now, she would barely get through the front doorof Croft Manor before she would be found. No, she could not get the sword directly from the treasure room. She would have to encourage Lara to take the sword away … but where? Amanda sat back in the office chair before an idea dawned on her … she would have to go and visit an old friend. Slowly she got off the chair, and walked towards another computer in the room. She would have to find her first though.

**Arequipa, Peru**

Anaya sat at a small café in the centre of the town, looking at the designs for a new building. She sighed. It had not been very long since she had last heard from Lara, barely a week, but Paraíso had got her concerned for her friend. They had both decided to leave it as it was, but she had decided to go back there. Then Lara had discovered that Amanda was still alive. But why had Amanda not come to find them afterwards? Why had Lara seemed so secretive about everything? Anaya shook her head, it would probably just be temporary, and whatever happened to Amanda unimportant. But her conscience would not believe this. _Nothing_ that Lara did was ever unimportant, and why would those men have tried to kill them for trying to find Amanda? Surely Amanda did not want them dead?

Anaya settled herself back into her seat and concentrated on her designs. But her mind would not settle. Perhaps that was why she heard a familiar voice speaking quietly behind her to the waiter, and was not surprised when she saw that same person sit down opposite her. The person smiled.

"You don't look surprised to see me."

"Why should I be?" asked Anaya. "I knew that you were alive." Amanda smiled and settled herself down in her seat.

"So it was you that tried to kill us then?" said Anaya. Amanda sighed.

"Believe me, Anaya, if I had wanted you dead, I would have found a much more effective way than sending all of those mercenaries after you. It was more of a … preventative measure, to try and stop you from understanding what really happened. Not that you would ever really understand what happened."

"I don't think I want to know anyway." Anaya was surprised at how cold her voice was, and how little she actually cared about what happened to Amanda.

"No, I don't imagine you do," Amanda smiled again, before getting up. "Anyway, I've got to go, I found a little something just north of here. A nice little place. Looks very much like those in Bolivia. Ta ta for now." She said, before making her way out onto the street. The next time Anaya looked, Amanda was gone.

Anaya picked up the phone. Lara would want to hear about this.

T.B.C … 

Thanks to everyone who read this chapter, please R&R!


	3. The Fall

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tomb Raider, Lara Croft nor anything in this fic.

**The Fall **

Yay! Another chapter. Please R&R!

**Croft Manor, England**

"How do you know that it's not just Amanda setting you a trap?" asked Zip, watching Lara pack everything into her backpack.

"It is a trap," answered Lara simply, checking that she had enough pistol clips in her backpack. Alistair looked at her in surprise.

"Then why are you going?" he said. "We have found the most likely location of where Amanda was talking about, but it looks nothing like Bolivia! The structure is completely different!" He looked at Lara's face. Suddenly everything turned very serious. "Why _are _you going?" he asked again. Lara sighed.

"Because Amanda is probably just about the only person on this planet that could answer any questions that I might have. I _need_ to know if anyone can get back from Avalon if they get there."

"And why should she know that? Surely only a person that has been to Avalon could know that."

"I hope not." Lara then picked up her equipment. "Alistair, while I am gone I would like you to go through all the footage we have of the past few weeks. Cut out any irrelevant parts, and make a folder of all the evidence that we have to prove that my father was right."

"Sure thing," said Zip. "He could do that easily, but the camera footage isn't good quality at all. It would need enhancing quite a bit."

"Can you do that?"

"Sure, can't see why not. Do you want me to enhance all the footage, or just the parts that Alistair picks out?"

"Either. Start with the parts that he picks out, but then try to enhance all the footage, in case something is missed."

"Sure thing." Zip nodded as Lara left. She called behind her as she exited the building.

"I will be back in a few days, don't worry if you haven't completed it by then." After she had left, Zip and Alistair looked at each other.

"She's _forgotten _her climbing gear again." Was all that Zip said.

**British Museum, England**

"Like her father, must be in their genes," is all that Erik Williams said when he heard of Lara's story of her mother. Erik Williams was one of the most senior professors at the British Museum, and, despite being so highly ranked, was still younger than most others. He was in his mid-twenties, with mouse coloured hair and walnut coloured eyes. He was of medium height and weight, and looked very plain and boring compared to others around him. Nobody would notice him if walking down the street.

"Perhaps," answered Eddigton. "But it is very unlike Lara to come up with such a story without any proof. If she does bring proof with her, I do think we should think of it as a possibility." Williams snorted in disbelief. It was true that he had very little respect for Lara, or indeed her father, although he had been far too young to meet the man. He had always insisted the reason for his dislike was that he did not believe in this 'fairy tale chasing' that he thought Lara did, despite the fact that Lara always went on missions that had at least some kind of evidence for going there. Everyone knew, though, that the real reason he disliked her was that she was the only person ever to beat him in his archaeology degree at university.

"And what about the sword? She said that she had found Excalibur? And King Arthur's Tomb? I suppose the sword crumbled because it was so old, and there was a cave-in in the tomb magically just after she had left it?" Eddigton sighed and shook his head.

"Perhaps you should show a bit more respect towards Lara. After all, she has discovered far more important archaeological sites than you have ever done." Eddigton said. "And she has offered to show the sword to us, as long as she can keep it for further examination, and insists that she has plenty of footage from everywhere she has been in the past few weeks." Eddigton paused. "And in case that does not convince the more … cautious of us, she has offered to give us the locations of everyplace that she has visited." He looked at Williams. Williams sighed.

"Fine. But I will tell you now, I will not be surprised if it all comes to a dead end." Eddigton smiled, and opened the door into his office.

"Thank you my friend." Eddigton closed the door. Williams paused and then walked on. He had to find a way to prove Croft wrong.

**Arequipa, Peru**

Amanda looked at her watch. She had been there for two days and nights now, but Lara still had not turned up. Of course she would have known it was a trap. But Lara would also have known that if Amanda had seriously wanted to check out what was here, she would not have been so stupid as to tell Anaya.

Amanda lay back. Lara was still not here, and she should probably keep a watchful eye out for any suspicious movements, but she was too tired. After all, Lara had decided not to kill her the first time, so it was highly unlikely that she would come all the way to Peru just to do that. Amanda looked at the stars. She began to wonder where Avalon really was. Maybe it was just in a far away galaxy. Or maybe it was further than that, a different dimension or something. Eventually she drifted into an uneasy sleep, still thinking of Avalon.

It did not really shock Amanda that she woke up with two pistols aimed at her head and the usual "move and I'll shoot" coming from its owner. Neither was she surprised when Lara asked her why Amanda had wanted to see her, but she was disappointed that Lara had appeared to bring neither her stone, nor the sword.

Amanda sat up. Lara's threats did not scare her and she could not stand having to look up at the bright sunlight. She smiled as she turned to face Lara.

"I knew you would come." Lara clicked the safety catch on the gun and told Amanda very simply that she needed some information. Give it and Amanda would live to see another day; refuse and it would certainly be the last day that Amanda would see.

"However, if you kill me, Lara, you would never get the information you desire." Lara insisted that she would, and was sure that she would easily find the information from elsewhere. Amanda paused, and to Lara it would appear that she was thinking of the offer. But Amanda had not. She could sense something.

_So, you have brought a bargaining chip_ she thought, as she tried to see where it was. _I knew you would_. After all, the stone had been with Amanda for years, she had come to depend on it. However, she could not see where the stone was, and decided it would be far easier to let Lara bring it out.

"I know you have my stone, Lara." Amanda said. "Give it to me, and I will tell you everything you need to know." Amanda watched Lara's hands. She knew that a reflex reaction would take place where Lara would check to see where the stone was, to check it was safe. The left pocket of the backpack.

"How do I know that you just won't kill me as soon as I give it to you?"

"Trust is far too rare a commodity these days." Amanda was quick. She kicked out at Lara expertly, pushing her onto her back. Then she grabbed the rucksack, and attempted to reach the stone. It did not take Lara long to fight back though, and she swung her arm around, connecting it with Amanda's face, who fell back in pain.

Lara got up. Amanda quickly attacked with kicks and punches, and Lara soon found herself defending. She eventually managed to kick Amanda in the stomach, and was disappointed to find her foot come into contact with a ring of muscle. It did not knock Amanda out, but it did wind her, and she fell back against a wall of the ruins, gasping for breath.

Amanda saw what looked like a branch in the wall. She pulled it out, and thrashed it at Lara like a sword. It was too late before they both realised what she had done. Below them a door opened, and soon they found themselves both falling into darkness, with no light above them as the trap door closed.

T.B.C …

Another chapter done! Please review and tell me what you think!


	4. The Golden Dais

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Tomb Raider, Lara Croft nor anything in this fic. 

Thanks for reviewing, and thanks to WannaPlayKevinBaker for the spelling of Alister. I checked every name for their spellings on the official website … except for his … I think its called sod's law … never mind. I've got the correct spelling in this chapter, but the other chapters will have to cope with the wrong spelling for the moment. Anyway, next chapter, please R&R.

**The Golden Dais**

**Arequipa, Peru**

Lara and Amanda awoke at about the same time. It was pitch black, giving them both no idea of where they were, or any sense of navigation. Lara reached for her PLS, and fumbled with the switch to turn it on. Nothing happened.

"Bugger," Lara whispered. Amanda, hearing her, crawled over to her direction. The floor was cold and damp. It was made of flat stones, and was rough. _Just like any other temple then_ thought Amanda.

"Where are we?" asked Amanda. She sounded almost scared. The last time Lara had heard her like that was in Paraíso all those years ago.

"You were damn right when you said that trust was far too rare a commodity these days."

"Sorry," said Amanda, trying to feel around her, trying to find Lara. "Do you have any light?" She asked after a pause. Lara shook her head in the dark, even though she knew Amanda would not see her.

"I would do if we hadn't fallen through that door," Lara paused. "I think that I might have some flares in my backpack though." She carefully took off her pack, and reached inside it. The flares were still there, and had been protected by the pack so had not smashed from the fall. At least some of them hadn't.

"Only two are remaining, the others were smashed," said Lara removing a flare from the pack. She cracked the flare, instantly lighting up the pit. They both hid their eyes from the bright light, and then, after becoming used to the light change, took in their surroundings. It was a long passageway. Roots of both trees and smaller plants clung to the grey, stone walls, with their patterns of ancient gods and beliefs. At least there was only one way to go.

"We'd better get going," Lara said plainly. "We've only got two flares before we're in total darkness again."

**Croft Manor, England**

"You sure are quick with enhancing those videos," said Alister, looking at the large collection of CD-R s around him. Zip smiled.

"I should be, I did design both Lara's headset and the software." Alister looked towards the treasure room, hidden behind the walls in its secret alcove.

"Shall we take the sword out, so that Lara is totally ready when she comes back?" Zip looked at him like he was an idiot. "No, of course not, sorry." Alister had been slightly upset that Lara had suggested not analysing the sword when she was not there, but on the other hand, she had found it, and there was plenty of time to analyse it later.

"I'm gonna get Lara onto her headset, so I can tell her we've finished," said Zip. He typed in his usual array of passwords, and tried to connect to the headset. There was no reply. Zip frowned. That was strange. He tried again. No signal. His frown deepened. Lara would never enter a tomb, or anywhere underground, without contacting him first. And, of course, underground was the only place that the signal never reached the headset.

"Maybe she turned it off for lunch?" asked Alister hopefully. Zip shook his head.

"It's not turned off, just got no signal." Alister sighed.

"Never mind, she's probably just pulled a lever that opened a really large trap door and fallen down to the bottom of a pit." Zip looked at Alister astonished.

"Something like that must have happened! I'll look at the satellite footage to see if anything is different." He opened up the site and studied the image. "Nope everything the same."

"Unless the trap door closed after she fell in," said Alister. "Can you look at previous film from the satellite?" Zip grinned.

"Well," he said slowly. "I could … but …"

"But what?"

"Lets just say that the satellite belongs to the British government, and we were only given permission to study the live images." Zip's grin broadened, as he tried to express his idea to Alister. Alister grinned.

"Right. So we ask the government to give us permission to see all the film … ouch!" Alister rubbed his lower leg where Zip had sharply kicked it.

"I was actually thinking of another way," he said. Alister stared at him.

"Oh, no way, remember what Lara said when she hired you. NO illegal business without her permission. I am NOT going to be caught with you hacking into government computers just to find some images that we could just ask them for!"

"Oh, come on Al!" cried Zip, swivelling his chair. "This is life! You don't always HAVE to do things by the rule book!" He turned his chair around just fast enough to see Alister disappearing up to his study, and a mutter of _It's ALISTER_!

**Arequipa, Peru**

Lara's flares had lasted them longer than expected. They had been walking for five minutes and the first one had only just started to die. Lara looked at the decorated walls.

"They're actually very similar to Bolivia aren't they?" said Amanda, after watching Lara's eyes drift towards them.

"Yes, remarkably similar in fact. Maybe you were right in saying that the ruins were like Bolivia." She smiled. "How ironic." Amanda smiled also before walking forwards.

"I don't know about you, but I think we should keep moving; you know, get around that next corner before the flare goes out so that we may be able to walk for a bit without the help of flares." Lara nodded and hurried forwards to catch up with Amanda.

"So, how did you actually get out of the tomb at Paraíso?" asked Lara. "Did the _thing_ help you to breathe or something?" Amanda shook her head.

"I actually released my foot by myself, and there was a small gap of air at the top where I could breathe." She paused. "But I did use it to blast that hole in the wall. When I found the Queen's tomb, I found my first ever sword piece." Lara nodded. They were walking around the corner of the passageway, and just had enough time to take in their surroundings before the flare went out. They memorised the route and kept walking.

"You do know that I am actually really sorry about Peru, about everything, I didn't mean to do it." Amanda looked at Lara.

"Yes, well it is too late now to save James, isn't it?" They continued walking in silence … until they hit the wall that is. "Ouch."

"Something like that," said Lara, reaching in her bag for the final flare. She lit it and they both looked at each other, rubbing sore noses with their hands. She swept the passageway with the flare, and noticed a door at the end. "That door is nearly exactly the same as in Nepal." Lara said, walking slowly towards it.

"Where your mother went to Avalon?" asked Amanda. Lara nodded, and Amanda felt her heartbeat increase. This truly _was_ ironic. "How do we get in though?" Lara looked around. Some of those roots did not look right. She pulled on it and the door groaned. Just one pulley needed on the other side.

Amanda grabbed it. "Ready." Lara nodded. They pulled on the roots, heaving open an ancient door. Then they tied the roots around rough stone outcrops to keep the door open.

"Not as advanced as some other civilisations of their times," said Lara. She heard Amanda call from inside the room.

"Nope, more interested in treasure." Lara walked into the room. What she saw amazed her.

It was indeed a dais, exactly the same to the other two daises that she had seen, only it wasn't made out of stone. It was made out of gold. The columns surrounding it were delicately carved and the sword sheath itself was beautiful. Lara looked to the top of the columns. Instead of the bright green light that the others contained, huge emeralds hanged from the tall ceiling. It was beautiful. The only shame was that it did not work, it was just purely ornamental.

Lara heard Amanda laughing. It was not an _I'm going to be rich _laugh, or even a _This is great_ laugh. It was a laughter of disbelief. Why would anyone want to build a sculpture of a dais, if it did not work, not to mention hide it away from the rest of the world? Lara knew she would be coming back her later; there were still things that had not revealed themselves in this place. She heard Amanda call her.

"Hey Lara, this door leads to the outside, lets get out!" Lara turned to see Amanda grinning at her. She smiled then followed her out, and they began to make their way slowly back to the city. As soon as Lara reached outside, she heard crackling from her headset, and heard Zip come into her head.

"Lara, are you okay? We've been trying to get a hold of you for ages. Alister was worried that you might have accidentally pulled a lever and fallen through a trap door into an underground pit or something."

"I did." Lara smiled.

"You did? Oh, okay then. By the way, we've finished enhancing all the footage for the past week, and put it all together. Did you get what you went for, also?" Lara turned to face Amanda. She was gone. Lara sighed before answering.

"No, I didn't have time. But I did discover something very interesting that I might go back to later. I will explain everything to you later, I'm flying home tonight."

"Cool, I'll get all the CD-R s labelled for you then and everything except the artefacts set up. See you soon, bye." Lara heard a scrabbling over the headset, as Zip quickly quit his work at trying to hack into government computers. He sighed. _Never mind, there will always be other days_, he thought.

"Bye." Lara switched off the headset, before removing it from her ear. True, she had not got the information she needed, but at least her relationship with Amanda had improved slightly. In the distance, she saw the city of Arequipa. It was time to go home.

**T.B.C …**

Please R&R, as usual!


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